Tag: traditions

OU students pride themselves in having raucous, memorable traditions, and it is probably because they learned from the best. Alumni came out in droves to share their favorite campus traditions.

The Bagel Buggy – Now days there is Big Mamma’s, but in the 1970s and 1980s the Bagel Buggy was the go to food cart for students who were hungry and probably slightly intoxicated. The strawberry jelly and cream cheese bagel was a fan favorite.

Green Fests – Back before there was Mill, High, and Palmer fest, there were the Green Fests. Each green had it’s own giant fest, leading up to the ultimate Springfest, which was held on the soccer fields by South Green . Prior to 1987 the drinking age in Ohio was 18, so students would fund raise all year and hold the fests on campus. Alum Lena Niro, who graduated in 1986, said that one year East Green’s fest went through 304 kegs of beer!

The Graffiti Wall – This is one tradition that has not changed much. According to several alumni leaving your mark on the graffiti wall at the top of Richland Avenue has been the big thing to do for over 40 years.

An aerial view of Court Street from the 1970s.s.

Broomball – This one is a bit of a surprise but apparently in the early to mid 1980s intramural broomball took campus by storm. Students would play at midnight in Byrd Arena.

Court Street Shuffle – Finally, a large majority of the alumni said their favorite tradition was the Court Street shuffle. The drinking age has gone up, and some of the bars have come and gone, but Ohio University students will always love a drunken bar crawl down the best street in the world.